Enduro21 gets to grips with the Scott SXII Lock On Grips, testing them to destruction on two enduro bikes over the course of one year – crashes stopped play!

Promising a quick install, less vibrations, a lock-on design that removes need for glue or wire and a decent price tag, Scott’s SXII Lock On Grips shout the kind of practicality we like at Enduro21.

Tested across a 12-month period, on two test bikes, we’ve clocked the hours to the point of wearing one set down and trashing the second set having a crashing time of it prepping for Erzberg.

Here’s how they stood up to the test…

They say:

Scott Lock On Grips take rider control to the next level. Featuring the latest technologies and premium features, these grips offer riders the same pro-level performance as our traditional grips, with the extra benefit of quick and easy installation.

Highlights include: Lock-on grip on clutch side with aluminium clamp, vibration reduction design, easy install, different throttle cam options as standard, SXII diamond rubber grip pattern.

We say:

Anything that makes life easy and which works is a bonus in life. As basically a like-for-like replacement of the standard grips on the KTM and Husqvarna enduro bikes we’ve been testing them on, Scott’s SXII lock-on set are exactly that.

They basically went straight on our long term test 2024 KTM 250 EXC, plus one of our own bikes, a 2019 Husqvarna TE250i, which is currently preparing itself for Erzberg (practice sessions for that are what trashed the grey set in the pictures!).

In around a year’s worth of use, the grips have seen every type of enduro and countless hours riding and as a quick summary, have stood up to the test very well. The most use has been on the KTM, the orange set which have started to wear at the pressure points now but that’s after more or less a season of riding.

Seconds to fit

From the start then, they look pretty cool with colour matching orange on the KTM plus a range of colours to suit preference. Fitting them is as easy as it gets with a simple hex head bolt locking the clutch side clamp tight. During all our testing the clamp, and grip, has remained tight and not come loose at all.

Their feel is soft enough but not so soft as to feel spongy, just grippy. That makes them good on the hands in terms of not creating blisters and with a thinness which helps with arm pump in our opinion. Their flat design, with no waffle, is our preference too and the shallow diamond pattern fades to the inside helping that slender feel yet the surface design offers good grip when hands are sweaty, or in wet and muddy conditions.

The throttle side has no clamp and comes with multiple cams to fit the most common manufacturer’s throttle types, you simply choose the correct cam pattern for your bike and slot it in place.

The one we’ve been using is short, quicker action cam like that you have as standard on the KTM/Husqvarna/GASGAS bikes. One downside is not having the option of a slower cam, the KTM-type one being quite quick action is fine for some enduro but it’d help for extreme or trail riding to have a slower cam choice at least.

Less vibes, man

“Strategically windowed core” is, Scott says, how they achieve vibration reduction in the grip design – though that seems to be true only in the clutch side with the throttle side naturally having a complete tube.

They say this window is positioned in line with rider hands so you can’t feel the pattern of it, but you can feel the difference. The standard Ogio grips on Austrian bikes are good, comparable in many ways, but the aspect we like the most is the feel of these partly because they are thinner (approx. 3mm).

Enduro21 verdict

They’ve had a pretty hard life after all this time. A hefty crash down a steep climb trashed the throttle side of the grey/black set, making the throttle only just usable despite cleaning the dirt out and refitting afterwards. But it kept us going to the end of the day thanks to tough grip rubber material holding the bust tube in place (we cut it open for photography purposes).

The orange set have been crashed in enduro tests, usually low-side wipe-outs in grassy tests to be honest a good amount of times. Their only wear really is on the pressure points as you can see.

In conclusion they’ve stood up well to a typical dirt bike life. We like the fact they are slightly narrower than the OEM grips on a KTM and the grip feel is good, whatever the conditions. They’re a decent price too, you can’t ask for much more than that from a set of grips.

They come in a range of colours to suit your preference or bike colours. Some countries you can order direct online via Scott’s website below or find them in dealers.

Cost: £25/€28.90/US$28.95

More information: www.scott-sports.com